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Dun
The Dùn are the native inhabitants of Dong Bu, making their living along the Pokeu Gange and the coast of the Sea of Dùn. The Dùn are a reptilian race of bipeds most distinguishable for their massive shells that act as a natural body armor fostering durability and toughness among the populace. Males and females are nearly identical in appearance to an outsider, though an expert might note that male's generally have somewhat longer and thicker talons and tend towards being slightly larger than the females, though not by much. The entirety of the Dùn body is covered in smooth shelling, though their back shell is the most prominent feature. Most specimens stand around 5 ft 6 on average, a shorter but wide and heavy race. Due to their natural armor conventional armor is often eschewed by the warrior caste who often carry great blades and wear no armor at all other than their natural own. Clothing is considered a hindrance in the wet environment in which the Dùn choose to live and as such it is rare to see a clothed Dùn unless they are attempting to conform to a foreigner in operation as an ambassador or envoy. Banished are however the exception, adopting foreign customs of clothing and even more noticeably armor. The Dùn are capable of holding their breath for extended periods of time, upwards of twenty minutes when active and nearly two hours when at rest beneath water. Most Dùn sleep near or underwater for short periods throughout the day and night in a sleep schedule diurnal foreigners find odd. The Dùn can speak the language of Zuiguo and have those within their society, largely those in the diplomatic caste, who speak the common tongue, but the majority of the Dùn primarily speak their own language of clicks and moans that no foreigner has ever mastered. This cultural and linguistic barrier is largely what has allowed the Dùn to remain so largely remote and separate despite their history of involvement with foreign powers. The Dùn adhere to a strict and clear caste system based on matriarchal lineage as it is the most easily identified, assigning the hatchlings of broods roles in society based on need and order of hatching with early hatchers given preferential treatment to those who gestate longer. Once assigned, a Dùn's station is for life or unless their superior in their caste dies and appoints them to succeed them. Any Dùn who wishes to change his or her station or any Dùn who commits a crime or breaks caste law is banished and sent north to interact with foreigners. It is through this practice that the Dùn have provided their recruits to foreign powers looking to raise armies and given a single Dùn's battlefield prowess even this slow trickle out effect has more than satisfied the needs of any foreign lords placed in the northern steppes as provincial ruler. Aside from the Dùn a small amount of humans from the other regions of Zuiguo have made their home in the northern steppe, bearing similar appearance to the Jomani of Ri Chugang these settlers are a minor amount of the population but a significant source of political power within the region given the Dùn's self isolation. Category:People Category:Peoples of Telluris